Packaging device for forming a pack

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device (I) for packaging products, including at least a first container (2A) and a second container (2B) that are each intended to contain a product, the first container (2A) and the second container (2B) being intended to be grouped together to form a pack, each of the first container (2A) and the second container (2B) being provided with a label (3) forming a sheath in which the first container (2A) or the second container (2B) is received, characterized in that each label (3) has at least an attachment face (31) and at least a receiving face, the attachment face (31) of the label (3) of the first container (2A) being secured to the receiving face of the label (3) of the second container (2B) by breakable means of connection between said attachment face (31) and said receiving face.

The field of the invention is that of the design and production of packaging elements for food products.

More specifically, the invention relates to packaging elements for liquid or semi-liquid products.

When products are sold in batches, they are generally grouped in the form of packs.

This is particularly the case for food product containers, in particular bottles.

This is because, in order to facilitate the transport of several bottles simultaneously, they are grouped in the form of a pack, generally in multiples of two, then held together by being covered with a plastics film.

Furthermore, the grouping in the form of a pack remains in particular imperative when the bottles have no positioning plane, that is to say, when their base has, for example, a hemispherical form. Thus, the plastics film allows the bottles to be grouped together and a positioning plane common to all the bottles to be formed.

However, the use of such a plastics material film leads to an overpackaging of food products, which contributes to land pollution. This is explained in particular by the fact that, when consumers buy these packs, not everyone correctly sorts the different packagings, in particular the plastics films which can, in the worst case, be thrown into the environment.

In order to limit the quantity of overpackaging material, a solution of plastics netting has been proposed.

By way of example, some markets, for example, those of containers of the can type, may propose nets which are provided with cavities in each of which a can is received.

This is because, if this solution enables the consumption of plastics material to be reduced for the production of the net, it may be found to be much less harmful for the environment than a plastics material film.

This is because, when these nets are thrown into the environment, in particular into aquatic environments, fish may become trapped inside the cavities and die.

In order to prevent this overpackaging, it is possible to propose unit containers, the containers then being sold loose in trays.

However, this sales method brings about several problems.

First of all, when a consumer wishes to buy several containers, he/she is limited with regard to the handling and/or the transport of several containers, particularly when the containers are bulky or of cylindrical form with a round cross section, in which case the containers may roll on each other.

Consumers may thus obtain crates or reusable bags in which they can store the various containers to be purchased.

However, such crates, when they are rigid, represent a significant spatial requirement whether this be in the boot of a vehicle or in a shopping trolley, or for storage when the containers which they are transporting are taken out.

Furthermore, consumers may make unexpected purchases at times when they do not have any crates or reusable bags. Consumers must then buy a new crate or reusable bag with the penalty of being limited in terms of the quantity of containers which they can transport.

From a manufacturing viewpoint, selling loose products also has constraints.

This is because, when the containers are produced and filled, they can no longer be palletized in order to be transported from the production location to the sales location thereof.

Placing in a tray directly after production is thus necessary but results in a significant cost for the manufacturers.

This is explained by the fact that in order to withstand both the weight of the containers which they contain and external stresses, for example, being hit by trolleys in the shops or careless movements when they are being handled, the trays must be produced from a strong material and/or with a significant thickness.

Such trays are thus more difficult to handle and increase the transport cost for the containers compared with the containers being palletized.

Furthermore, before they are filled with containers, the empty trays must be stored, which requires that a dedicated space be provided by the manufacturers, this dedicated space therefore not providing any or little profit.

The object of the invention is in particular to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

More specifically, the invention is intended to provide a solution for packaging several containers in the form of a pack whilst preventing overpackaging of the containers.

The invention is also intended to provide such a solution which is simple to carry out and which does not transform the user habits of consumers.

The invention is further intended to provide such a solution which allows a pack to be able to be formed and modulated in accordance with the wishes or the demands of the consumers.

These objectives and others which will appear below are achieved with the invention which relates to a product packaging device which comprises at least a first container, a second container and a third container which each contain product, the first container, the second container and the third container being grouped in order to form a pack, each of the first container, second container and third container being provided with a label which forms a sheath inside which the first container or the second container or the third container is received; the device being characterized in that each label is made from cardboard, paper or molded cellulose and has at least one attachment face and/or at least one receiving face, the attachment face of the label of the first container being fixedly joined to the receiving face of the label of the second container by frangible connection means between the attachment face and the receiving face of the first container and the second container, respectively, and the attachment face of the label of the second container being fixedly joined to the receiving face of the label of the third container by frangible connection means between the attachment face and the receiving face of the second container and the third container, respectively.

The device according to the invention thus enables existing overpackaging to be eliminated for ordinary packs.

This is because the frangible connection means between the attachment faces and the receiving faces of the labels enable the containers to be able to be assembled together in order to form a pack, without any plastics film or any other means of holding the containers together.

It is further possible to form packs of containers of different sizes since it is simply necessary to make the receiving faces and the attachment faces cooperate with each other in order to ensure the formation of a pack. The size of the pack is thus not limited by the placement of an overpackaging which enables a pack comprising an uneven number of containers to be produced, if necessary.

Furthermore, manufacturers can change the capacity of their packs in order to respond to a one-off demand. This is because, when a pack generally comprises six containers, it is possible to modify the capacity of a pack so that it contains eight or ten containers, for example, in order to respond to a promotional offer, for example, proposed by a distributor. This is further facilitated by the fact that it is thus not necessary to have to modify the parameters of a filming machine for the formation of the packs since the packs do not have such a film. This type of pack and the flexibility which is associated therewith are therefore particularly suitable for the development of production methods, in particular those imposed by e-commerce.

Furthermore, the device according to the invention enables use for consumers to be facilitated. This is because no plastics film has to be recycled, the pack may be endlessly or virtually endlessly reformed if the frangible connection means are of the type which can be repositioned.

Advantageously, each of the first container and the second container has a body and a base of the hemispherical type which extends the body, and each label extends as far as an end of the base opposite the body, or beyond the end, and forms a positioning plane for the first container and the second container.

The label thus enables the containers to be fixed in a vertical position when they are not stable as a result of their intrinsic characteristics.

The labels thus have a triple function.

Firstly, the labels conventionally carry communication elements which are linked to the product contained in the containers, for example, the brand of the product, the composition thereof or a dedicated barcode.

Secondly, the labels enable the receptacles to stand in a stable manner in a vertical position when they cannot rest in this position as a result of their shape.

Thirdly, the labels enable the formation of a pack of containers without using an overpackaging element.

According to an advantageous aspect, each label has a plurality of tongues which extend from a free end of the label which forms the positioning plane, the tongues being able to be folded onto each other in order to form a base wall of the label.

The tongues enable the base of the label to be closed. This also contributes to reinforcing the mechanical strength of the label which acts as a positioning plane, but also to prevent any introduction of contamination or insects between the label and the base of the containers.

According to another advantageous aspect, the frangible connection means between the attachment face and the receiving face comprise at least one line of adhesive or strip of adhesive.

This type of frangible connection means is simple to industrialize and enables the containers to be fixedly joined relative to each other in an efficient manner.

Furthermore, by using a removable adhesive, such as that used for bookmarks or self-adhesive notes, it is possible for a user to modify, unpack and reform a pack in accordance with requirements or wishes.

According to a first embodiment, for each label, the attachment face and the receiving face are planar.

The planar attachment faces and receiving faces enable good cooperation between the containers and therefore good strength of the pack once formed.

Still in accordance with the first embodiment, each label has a polygonal cross section.

Such a cross section enables a plurality of attachment faces and receiving faces to be provided for each container, which promotes the generation of a pack and the modularity thereof in accordance with requirements.

According to a second embodiment, for each label, the attachment face has a concave shape and the receiving face has a convex shape, or vice versa.

The concave and convex shapes particularly enable the labels to be stiffened by providing a contour for each of the faces so that the deformation thereof is difficult, to the advantage of the strength of the label.

According to another aspect, the frangible connection means between the attachment face and the receiving face are produced by means of form-fitting cooperation between the concave shape and the convex shape.

The form-fitting cooperation ensures a mechanical attachment of the containers to each other, which may prevent having to use a frangible connection means, such as an adhesive, for example.

Preferably, each label comprises at least one reinforcement rib which extends along an axis about which the label is wound.

These reinforcement ribs enable the rigidity of the label to be reinforced, in particular in order to improve the fixing of the containers in a vertical position.

The invention also relates to a container, characterized in that it comprises a label which has at least one attachment face and/or at least one receiving face in order to form a product packaging device as described above.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated more clearly from a reading of the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are given by way of non-limiting illustrative examples, and the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above of a product packaging device according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view from below of a product packaging device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 show a perspective view from below of a variant of a label of a product packaging device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective plan view of a product packaging device according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a product packaging device according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective plan view of another variant of a product packaging device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the variant of the product packaging device according to the first embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 illustrate a product packaging device 1 according to the invention, according to a first embodiment and a second embodiment, respectively.

In a common manner, the product packaging device 1 comprises containers 2 and labels 3 which are associated with the containers 2.

A label 3 is defined as being a sheath which surrounds the containers 2 and which may have indications intended for consumers, such as, for example, but not exclusively, a brand, a description of the product contained in the containers, a barcode or a logo.

Preferably, each label has a cylindrical shape, that is to say, the contour thereof is formed by a straight line which moves parallel with itself along a planar curve. In this instance, the planar curve is plotted in a plane perpendicular to an extension axis of the containers 2.

The product is advantageously a product of the liquid type, such as a drink (water, fruit juice, carbonated drink, etc.) or a semi-liquid product or which has a significant viscosity such as a liquid soap or detergent.

More specifically, the packaging device 1 comprises:

-   -   at least a first container 2A and a second container 2B which         are each intended to contain a product, and     -   for each of the first container 2A and second container 2B, a         first label 3A which forms a sheath in which the first container         2A is received, and a second label 3B which forms a label in         which the second container 2B is received.

As explained below, the first container 2A and the second container 2B are grouped to form all or a portion of a pack.

The term pack is intended to be understood to be a group of containers 2 which are positioned against each other and held together. The grouping of containers 2 in the form of a pack enables each container 2 to be given stability in a vertical position, that is to say, a position where the extension axis of the containers 2 is perpendicular to a surface on which the containers 2 rest, or virtually rest.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the packaging device 1 comprises six containers 2 and the same number of labels 3.

More specifically, the packaging device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises:

-   -   a first container 2A associated with a first label 3A;     -   a second container 2B associated with a second label 3B;     -   a third container 2C associated with a third label 3C;     -   a fourth container 2D associated with a fourth label 3D;     -   a fifth container 2E associated with a fifth label 3E, and a         sixth container 2F associated with a sixth label 3F.

In contrast, the packaging device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises:

-   -   a first container 2A associated with a first label 3A;     -   a second container 2B associated with a second label 3B;     -   a third container 2C associated with a third label 3C.

By way of illustration, the containers 2 each contain a liquid or semi-liquid product, such as, for example, a drink.

In order to enable the generation of the pack, each label 3 has at least one attachment face 31 and at least one receiving face 32.

The formation of the pack is thus carried out by fixedly joining the attachment face 31 of a first label 3 to the receiving face 32 of a second label 3 using frangible connection means between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 , the attachment face 31 of the first label 3A which is fixedly joined to the first container 2A is fixedly joined to the receiving face 32 of the second label 3 b which is fixedly joined to the second container 2 b.

According to a first advantageous aspect, the frangible connection means between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32 comprise at least one line of adhesive or strip of adhesive.

Preferably, this line of adhesive or strip of adhesive is of the type which can be repositioned, that is to say, it enables detachment and repositioning of the attachment face 31 with respect to the receiving face 32.

According to a second advantageous aspect, the frangible connection means between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32 are produced by means of form-fitting cooperation. More specifically, as is explained in greater detail below, the form-fitting cooperation is carried out between a concave shape provided by one of the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32, and a convex shape provided by the other of the receiving face 32 and the attachment face 31.

According to a third advantageous aspect, the frangible connection means between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32 are produced by means of a mechanical adhesive which comprises a looped portion which is carried by the receiving face 32 and a hooked portion which is carried by the attachment face 31, or vice versa.

The hooks of the hooked portion are intended to grip in the loops of the looped portion in order to ensure the adhesion between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32.

Such connection means are particularly known as hook and loop strips.

According to another advantageous aspect, each label 3 comprises at least one reinforcement rib 4 which extends along an axis A about which the label 3 is wound. The reinforcement ribs 4 are illustrated in FIG. 1 by dotted lines.

The axis A is advantageously in alignment with an extension axis (not illustrated) of the container 2.

Each container 2 has a body 21 and a base 22 of the hemispherical type which extends the body 21.

Such a container 2 thus cannot keep itself stable only when it rests vertically by being supported on the base 22 thereof. To this end, the labels 3 are used to ensure the vertical behavior of these containers 2.

Each label has a free end 33 opposite the body 21 of the container 2.

Each label 3 extends at least as far as an end of the base 22 opposite the body 21.

Preferably, the label 3 extends beyond the end of the base 22.

In other words, the free end 33 of the label 3 is located at the same level as the end of the base 22, or beyond the end of the base 22.

The free end 33 of the label 3 thus forms a positioning plane of the container 2 to which the label 3 is fixedly joined.

More particularly, the free end 33 of the label 3 forms a closed contour which enables the label 3 to rest vertically on itself.

According to a first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a variant illustrated in FIG. 3 , each label 3 has a polygonal cross section.

Such a cross section is produced in a plane of section transverse to the extension axis of the containers 2 and does not involve the positioning plane formed by the label 3.

To this end, the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32 are planar.

According to a variant of the first embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3 , each label 3 has a plurality of tongues 34 which extend from a free end 33 which forms the positioning plane.

The tongues 34 can be folded one on the other, as illustrated by the arrow F, in order to form a base wall 35 of the label 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , each tongue 34 extends from the free end 33 beyond a center of the base wall 35. In a variant, the tongues 34 may extend over a distance less than a radius of the base wall 35 in order to enable a hollow space to be left in the base of the base wall 35.

Such a hollow space thus enables the neck of a container 2 to be able to be received and several containers 2 thus to be allowed to be superimposed in a stable manner.

According to an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the attachment face 31 has a concave shape and the receiving face has a convex shape. Conversely, although it is not illustrated, the attachment face 31 could have a convex shape and the receiving face 32 could have a concave shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , for the connection between two containers 2, via their respective label 3, each label 3 of a container 2 comprises an attachment face 31 and a receiving face 32 which are adjacent and which cooperate with an adjacent receiving face 32 and an adjacent attachment face 31, respectively, of a label 3 of another container 2.

Below, a description is set out for a pack comprising a first container 2A, a second container 2B and a third container 2C.

The first container 2A is associated with a first label 3A, the second container 2B is associated with a second label 3B and the third container 2C is associated with a third label 3C.

In order to form the pack, the first label 3A cooperates with the second label 3B and the third label 3C, the second label 3B cooperates with the first label 3A and the third label 3C, and the third label 3C cooperates with the first label 3A and the second label 3B.

More specifically, in order to form a pack, the cooperation between the first label 3A, the second label 3B and the third label 3C is produced as follows:

-   -   an adjacent attachment face 31 and an adjacent receiving face 32         of the first label 3A cooperate with an adjacent receiving face         32 and an adjacent attachment face 31 of the second label 3B,         respectively;     -   another adjacent attachment face 31 and another adjacent         receiving face 32 of the first label 3A cooperate with an         adjacent receiving face 32 and an adjacent attachment face 31 of         the third label, respectively, and     -   another adjacent attachment face 31 and another adjacent         receiving face 32 of the second label 3B cooperate with another         adjacent receiving face 32 and another adjacent attachment face         31 of the third label 3C, respectively.

Advantageously, the labels 3 are made from cardboard, paper, molded cellulose or a plastics film which is widely used for producing labels which are attached to some containers which are already marketed. Preferably, the labels 3 have a thickness of from 0.1 mm to 4 mm.

According to an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 which is particularly suitable for packaging bottles made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which are lightweight, have thin walls and are therefore deformable, the product packaging device 1 according to the invention, the product packaging device 1 comprises in the same manner as above containers 2 and labels 3 which are associated with the containers 2.

Each label 3 is defined as being a sheath of polygonal cross section of which at least one of the internal walls is adhesively bonded to the body 21 of the container 2, i.e. the bottle, just below the shoulder of the bottle.

In this specific embodiment, the packaging device 1 comprises four containers 2 and the same number of labels 3.

More specifically, the packaging device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 comprises:

-   -   a first container 2A which is associated with a first label 3A;     -   a second container 2B which is associated with a second label         3B;     -   a third container 2C which is associated with a third label 3C;     -   a fourth container 2D which is associated with a fourth label         3D.

It is evident that the pack may comprise 2 or 6 containers, for example, without for all that departing from the scope of the invention.

In order to enable the generation of the pack, each label 3 has at least one attachment face 31 and at least one receiving face 32.

The formation of the pack is thus carried out by fixedly joining the attachment face 31 of a first label 3 to the receiving face 32 of a second label 3 using frangible connection means between the attachment face 31 and the receiving face 32, the frangible connection means comprising a strip or a line or a dot of adhesive of the type which can be repositioned or any other frangible connection means which are well known to the person skilled in the art such as a mechanical adhesive or the like.

Of course, each label 3 may also comprise at least one reinforcement rib which is not illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and which extends along an axis A about which the label 3 is wound.

It should be noted that, advantageously, the labels 3, in addition to producing a pack of bottles, enable a gripping of each bottle to be provided without it becoming deformed, thus preventing the content of the bottle from overflowing when it is gripped. 

1. A product packaging device (1), the device (1) comprising at least a first container (2A), a second container (2B) and a third container (2C) which each contain product, the first container (2A), the second container (2B) and the third container (2C) being grouped in order to form a pack, each of the first container (2A), second container (2B) and third container (2C) being provided with a label (3) which forms a sheath inside which the first container (2A) or the second container (2B) or the third container (2C) is received, wherein each label (3) is made from cardboard, paper or molded cellulose and has at least one attachment face (31), at least one receiving face (32), or both, wherein the attachment face (31) of the label (3) of the first container (2A) is fixedly joined to the receiving face (32) of the label (3) of the second container (2B) by frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) of the first container (2A) and the second container (2B), respectively, and wherein the attachment face (31) of the label (3) of the second container (2B) is fixedly joined to the receiving face (32) of the label (3) of the third container (2C) by frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) of the second container (2B) and the third container (2C), respectively.
 2. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first container (2A) and the second container (2B) has a body (21) and a base (22) of the hemispherical type which extends the body (21), and wherein each label (3) extends as far as an end of the base (22) opposite the body (21), or beyond the end, and forms a positioning plane for the first container (2A) and the second container (2B).
 3. The device (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that each label (3) has a plurality of tongues (34) which extend from a free end (33) of the label (3) which forms the positioning plane, the plurality of tongues (34) being able to be folded onto each other in order to form a base wall (35) of the label (3).
 4. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) comprise at least one line of adhesive or strip of adhesive.
 5. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein for each label (3), the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) are planar.
 6. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each label (3) has a polygonal cross section.
 7. The device (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein each label (3) has at least one internal wall, wherein at least one of the internal walls of each label (3) is adhesively bonded to a body (21) of the container (2).
 8. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein for each label (3), the attachment face (31) has a concave shape and the receiving face (32) has a convex shape, or vice versa.
 9. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) are produced by means of form-fitting cooperation between the concave shape and the convex shape.
 10. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each label (3) comprises at least one reinforcement rib (4) which extends along an axis (A) about which the label (3) is wound.
 11. A container (2), comprising a label (3) which has at least one attachment face (31), at least one receiving face (32), or both in order to form a product packaging device (1) where the product packaging device comprises: at least a first container (2A), a second container (2B) and a third container (2C) which each contain product, the first container (2A), the second container (2B) and the third container (2C) being grouped in order to form a pack, each of the first container (2A), second container (2B) and third container (2C) being provided with a label (3) which forms a sheath inside which the first container (2A) or the second container (2B) or the third container (2C) is received, wherein each label (3) is made from cardboard, paper or molded cellulose and has at least one attachment face (31), at least one receiving face (32), or both, wherein the attachment face (31) of the label (3) of the first container (2A) is fixedly joined to the receiving face (32) of the label (3) of the second container (2B) by frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) of the first container (2A) and the second container (2B), respectively, and wherein the attachment face (31) of the label (3) of the second container (2B) is fixedly joined to the receiving face (32) of the label (3) of the third container (2C) by frangible connection means between the attachment face (31) and the receiving face (32) of the second container (2B) and the third container (2C), respectively. 